What do you think?
Rate this book
The Immortal Great Souls #4
The Lost Cube
Scorio's indomitable will is all that's keeping him going.
For victory has been purchased at too high a cost. Haunted by the ghosts of friends and lovers fallen, he must rekindle the will to fight, unmask the monsters and manipulators who have deceived the Great Souls for centuries, and finally bring the answers to light.
Answers, he knows, which lie hidden in the depths of the legendary Lost Cube.
For victory has been purchased at too high a cost. Haunted by the ghosts of friends and lovers fallen, he must rekindle the will to fight, unmask the monsters and manipulators who have deceived the Great Souls for centuries, and finally bring the answers to light.
Answers, he knows, which lie hidden in the depths of the legendary Lost Cube.
908 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 13, 2025
307 people are currently reading
191 people want to read
About the author
Phil Tucker
48 books1,265 followersThanks for visiting my page! I'm Phil Tucker, a Brazilian/Brit who currently resides in Asheville, NC, where I resist the siren call of the forests and mountains to sit inside and hammer away on my laptop.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
October 19, 2025
Love this series. Followup was long delayed but excellent! World building top notch.
October 27, 2025
Now I remember why I hate starting unfinished series. What do you mean I have to wait a year or two for the next book???
October 31, 2025
Divine Mayhem! Silverine Sun Stumbles Before Godhood! "Well, I was ready to get eaten by my ascendant, but now ... I'm unemployed! I guess, I'll have to go rogue and become a pirate!" - A. Philosopher - The Silverine Splatterer.
Another brilliant outing with Phil Tucker's awesome Immortal Great Souls series.
The characterisation is brilliant, and especially the processes of 'character growth and development,' are handled with a beautiful and wise elegance. I'm super-impressed by Tucker's skills.
The narrative just runs along with the reader in a tight grip. It never lapsed. Everything in this story draws you forward, desperate to find out 'what happens next.'
I loved it, and I'm hanging out for the next installment.
One nit: there are quite a few glitches throughout the text for missing words, the wrong reference used by a character, etc, but given the exuberant flow of the narrative, I just found myself glossing over these and going with the flow. That said, the manuscript could've used another round of revision.
Strongly Recommended, 5 'Victory Against All Odds,' stars.
Another brilliant outing with Phil Tucker's awesome Immortal Great Souls series.
The characterisation is brilliant, and especially the processes of 'character growth and development,' are handled with a beautiful and wise elegance. I'm super-impressed by Tucker's skills.
The narrative just runs along with the reader in a tight grip. It never lapsed. Everything in this story draws you forward, desperate to find out 'what happens next.'
I loved it, and I'm hanging out for the next installment.
One nit: there are quite a few glitches throughout the text for missing words, the wrong reference used by a character, etc, but given the exuberant flow of the narrative, I just found myself glossing over these and going with the flow. That said, the manuscript could've used another round of revision.
Strongly Recommended, 5 'Victory Against All Odds,' stars.
November 20, 2025
World-building and characterisations of both denizens of Hell and Bastion is at once extra vivid, colorful and alien while the plot remains as engaging and fast paced as ever adding many more stakes.
Can't wait for the next one; a must read for fans and really highly recommend, awesome series!
More to come later ...
Can't wait for the next one; a must read for fans and really highly recommend, awesome series!
More to come later ...
October 13, 2025
This series is better by the page!
If you’ve read any of the IGS series, you know you can’t put it down. Incredible world building, story telling, human interaction and fantasy. Phil is a Master of his craft!
If you’ve read any of the IGS series, you know you can’t put it down. Incredible world building, story telling, human interaction and fantasy. Phil is a Master of his craft!
November 10, 2025
I know progression fantasy gets a lot of flak (also from me sometimes), but this is one of the few series that could make me change my mind. Honestly such an interesting, unique setting, high stakes, and likeable characters, the ~900 pages went by real quick. Interestingly, this 4th book is the first one in the series that employed multiple POVs and while I did not care for all of them, I did find them to be well-written and offering interesting new perspectives. Will probably be a while before the next instalment is published, but I'm already excited ^^
November 3, 2025
Phil, you have done it again. Constantly raising the bar for us all and doing it flawlessly.
No, but seriously, the best book in the series by FAR. The growth of the characters, esp. Jova and Leonis, was written so well. Action-packed but didn’t slack off story-wise. No notes.
No, but seriously, the best book in the series by FAR. The growth of the characters, esp. Jova and Leonis, was written so well. Action-packed but didn’t slack off story-wise. No notes.
October 14, 2025
Epic as always!
I just wish I found out about this series 10 years from now so I could read all the books without waiting!
I just wish I found out about this series 10 years from now so I could read all the books without waiting!
October 19, 2025
Another great book for the great soul series
Continuing the story, and while rife with world building, still leaves you eager to give in and learn more. Just enough questions remain to keep you hooked and eager for the next installment. Can't wait
Continuing the story, and while rife with world building, still leaves you eager to give in and learn more. Just enough questions remain to keep you hooked and eager for the next installment. Can't wait
October 14, 2025
Fantastic entry to one of my favorite series. Loved the growth of the characters throughout the book, enough twists and turns to keep you guessing while maintaining a solid narrative. Eagerly awaiting the next one.
November 13, 2025
Could not stop reading. can't wait for Scorio's journey to continue.
October 30, 2025
Probably the second best in the series? Book 3 had better pacing and fights and characters and humor and settings. But other than that Book 4 was great.
Spoilers from here
Clearly head and shoulders better than his lazier work in throne hunters. It had a beginning, middle, and end. It started a little rough and slow paced, but got better as it went on. It still did that thing that Tucker does where he'll set the plot going in one direction, and then randomly change directions. For example they got stuck underground for a 3 month training arc. They started hinting that several of them would advance before it was over. But then Tucker ran out of stuff to write for the arc, so he changed the timeline and had them leave early. It felt less like a natural plot and more like the author changing his mind, especially because I just finished Throne Hunters where this happens all the time. It has to do with the chapter-by-chapter writing process, where if you want to change course you cant go back and delete a chapter that you've already released. Another problem I had with this process is that all of the chapters are close to the same length, regardless of whether they deserve to be that long. It makes many chapters either rushed or full of filler. I would often finish a chapter and realize that nothing of import happened.
Listening to this made me hear some of the repeated lines too often. Every single character says "Fine" multiple times. Also everyone constantly will repeat verbatim what someone else just said. I kept thinking my book reader was skipping because it would say the exact same line over and over again. But that's just how people talk in this, by repeating each others words every time they talk.
Naomi going crazy, killing Alain, and running away in the previous book made Scorio lose his drive that he had after escaping the crucible, so the plot had to go out of it's way to force Scorio into position for advancement. The first one being their underground cave training arc. Then later people show up to give him all the tools he could possibly need to advance. And then he gets shoved in the murder machine which forced him to try harder than ever before to advance. It's a shame he needs to be murdered every sixty seconds in order to grow. If he could just focus on his own he could be running hell in under a week. Do they have ADHD meds in Bastion?
Jova was way more likeable in this book. I feel like Scorio is still too trusting working with her. She was absolutely horrible to him in the past. She definitely owe's everyone more apologies. She did a bit of apologizing, but for the most part her traitorous stint got swept under the rug.
Kelona and Druanna joined the team just to die. Druanna had a cool backstory too. Powerful sword robot stand and she was rescued from prison by Scorio. Nobody even had time to mourn them. They didn't even die to people, just blockhead constructs. Strange place to have people die, it meant nothing.
Leonis' journey was great too. Even if he was too annoying at the beginning it was still the best character growth in the series. Hopefully as he embraces his support role he can grow. Too bad Lianshi got none of this growth. From what I remember of the last book, she got some of her past life memories back, remembered she was gay, and then left.
Xandera was fun as a child volcano demon queen fiend. She was kind of just used as a sounding board for others to talk to about and work through their problems. I was hoping to see her get more growth. But it sounds like she's now just gonna go back to Volcano land. She's the most rational fiend in the series so far so I wanted to see more from her viewpoint. Looks like there will be more fiends in the future, with Tenebrites (symbiotes) and all the others in the Lustrous Maria.
Naomi's journey was wild. Seems like it's a copy of the Yerin/Bloodshadow arc in Cradle. Except Yerin and the shadow put aside their differences because they both only cared about advancing and Lindon. Nightmare lady highlights all the toxic elements of the parasite relationship. NL is still becoming more and more human, but at her current state is killing people randomly and wanting to have full control. So I guess the separation made sense, but it was weird. The Tenebrite king was telling them that if they separated they would both be weaker than ever, but When Naomi woke up alone she was suddenly stupid powerful. And she has the same powers as past Scorio's dead girlfriend. So is she his reincarnated wife? Or do the powers manifest in randos? Also her dad is still alive and a powerful Herdsman, so that should be cool.
Naomi's change had very little build up and she was completely different within just a few chapters. I get that she had a parasite and had to get it out, but that just makes it so we can blame all her problems on the evil parasite. Her growth is not her own and as a reader it's hard to have a gauge on her. Also, we only found out she had a parasite two chapters before she got it removed. Her problems were complex and real, but then a couple chapters later they were just handwaved away. This is not how mental health works in the real world. Just an extremely rushed plotline that made little sense.
Seems like Scorio has been a herdsman in past lives, or possibly founded the group.. And he was either captured in the tomb with a spike through his heart to keep him from reincarnating, or he has been reincarnating at the Lost Cube Archspire. That's why he's only been born "six" times.
I'm glad Plassus is back because he's the only person that consistently acts like a rational adult. Everyone else is an angsty teenager.
The plot armor is back and more powerful than ever. They regularly mention how Scorio is "whispered" which basically means he can't die and everything he does will have a huge impact on the world. Kind of feels like a cheat code for the author, but we'll see if it ends up being more than that.
Dameon has been a cool villain in prior books but seeing inside his head made him way less intimidating. It makes no sense for someone who keeps all his past memories to advance so slowly. Advancing requires some small amount of quality mana, but mostly just requires understanding yourself. He should have jumped to Imperator within a month every single time. And if past memories don't do it, then future sight should guarantee it. I guess Tucker is trying to show that living for thousands of years really messes you up. He had changed so much that he didn't understand himself enough to advance even with a roadmap in front of his face. I hoped that Dameon would be a competent villain or even a rival for Scorio, but instead he was a dummy with severe mental illness. The Blood Ox, Bravurn, Praximar, and even some of Dameon's minions were better villains than Dameon.
Spoilers from here
Clearly head and shoulders better than his lazier work in throne hunters. It had a beginning, middle, and end. It started a little rough and slow paced, but got better as it went on. It still did that thing that Tucker does where he'll set the plot going in one direction, and then randomly change directions. For example they got stuck underground for a 3 month training arc. They started hinting that several of them would advance before it was over. But then Tucker ran out of stuff to write for the arc, so he changed the timeline and had them leave early. It felt less like a natural plot and more like the author changing his mind, especially because I just finished Throne Hunters where this happens all the time. It has to do with the chapter-by-chapter writing process, where if you want to change course you cant go back and delete a chapter that you've already released. Another problem I had with this process is that all of the chapters are close to the same length, regardless of whether they deserve to be that long. It makes many chapters either rushed or full of filler. I would often finish a chapter and realize that nothing of import happened.
Listening to this made me hear some of the repeated lines too often. Every single character says "Fine" multiple times. Also everyone constantly will repeat verbatim what someone else just said. I kept thinking my book reader was skipping because it would say the exact same line over and over again. But that's just how people talk in this, by repeating each others words every time they talk.
Naomi going crazy, killing Alain, and running away in the previous book made Scorio lose his drive that he had after escaping the crucible, so the plot had to go out of it's way to force Scorio into position for advancement. The first one being their underground cave training arc. Then later people show up to give him all the tools he could possibly need to advance. And then he gets shoved in the murder machine which forced him to try harder than ever before to advance. It's a shame he needs to be murdered every sixty seconds in order to grow. If he could just focus on his own he could be running hell in under a week. Do they have ADHD meds in Bastion?
Jova was way more likeable in this book. I feel like Scorio is still too trusting working with her. She was absolutely horrible to him in the past. She definitely owe's everyone more apologies. She did a bit of apologizing, but for the most part her traitorous stint got swept under the rug.
Kelona and Druanna joined the team just to die. Druanna had a cool backstory too. Powerful sword robot stand and she was rescued from prison by Scorio. Nobody even had time to mourn them. They didn't even die to people, just blockhead constructs. Strange place to have people die, it meant nothing.
Leonis' journey was great too. Even if he was too annoying at the beginning it was still the best character growth in the series. Hopefully as he embraces his support role he can grow. Too bad Lianshi got none of this growth. From what I remember of the last book, she got some of her past life memories back, remembered she was gay, and then left.
Xandera was fun as a child volcano demon queen fiend. She was kind of just used as a sounding board for others to talk to about and work through their problems. I was hoping to see her get more growth. But it sounds like she's now just gonna go back to Volcano land. She's the most rational fiend in the series so far so I wanted to see more from her viewpoint. Looks like there will be more fiends in the future, with Tenebrites (symbiotes) and all the others in the Lustrous Maria.
Naomi's journey was wild. Seems like it's a copy of the Yerin/Bloodshadow arc in Cradle. Except Yerin and the shadow put aside their differences because they both only cared about advancing and Lindon. Nightmare lady highlights all the toxic elements of the parasite relationship. NL is still becoming more and more human, but at her current state is killing people randomly and wanting to have full control. So I guess the separation made sense, but it was weird. The Tenebrite king was telling them that if they separated they would both be weaker than ever, but When Naomi woke up alone she was suddenly stupid powerful. And she has the same powers as past Scorio's dead girlfriend. So is she his reincarnated wife? Or do the powers manifest in randos? Also her dad is still alive and a powerful Herdsman, so that should be cool.
Naomi's change had very little build up and she was completely different within just a few chapters. I get that she had a parasite and had to get it out, but that just makes it so we can blame all her problems on the evil parasite. Her growth is not her own and as a reader it's hard to have a gauge on her. Also, we only found out she had a parasite two chapters before she got it removed. Her problems were complex and real, but then a couple chapters later they were just handwaved away. This is not how mental health works in the real world. Just an extremely rushed plotline that made little sense.
Seems like Scorio has been a herdsman in past lives, or possibly founded the group.. And he was either captured in the tomb with a spike through his heart to keep him from reincarnating, or he has been reincarnating at the Lost Cube Archspire. That's why he's only been born "six" times.
I'm glad Plassus is back because he's the only person that consistently acts like a rational adult. Everyone else is an angsty teenager.
The plot armor is back and more powerful than ever. They regularly mention how Scorio is "whispered" which basically means he can't die and everything he does will have a huge impact on the world. Kind of feels like a cheat code for the author, but we'll see if it ends up being more than that.
Dameon has been a cool villain in prior books but seeing inside his head made him way less intimidating. It makes no sense for someone who keeps all his past memories to advance so slowly. Advancing requires some small amount of quality mana, but mostly just requires understanding yourself. He should have jumped to Imperator within a month every single time. And if past memories don't do it, then future sight should guarantee it. I guess Tucker is trying to show that living for thousands of years really messes you up. He had changed so much that he didn't understand himself enough to advance even with a roadmap in front of his face. I hoped that Dameon would be a competent villain or even a rival for Scorio, but instead he was a dummy with severe mental illness. The Blood Ox, Bravurn, Praximar, and even some of Dameon's minions were better villains than Dameon.
November 7, 2025
The experience of reading The Lost Cube I think can be related, much like the tale of the prodigal son from the Bible, to that of of a poor man who learns of an inheritance beyond his wildest dreams. This is a book that was to inherit the legacy of the Cultivation genre. It's gleaming gem of a core, was such that it would have felt deserved by any unbiased third party onlookers. The promised one. The girl next door. The diamond in the rough.
Unfortunately, in this timeline, the government steps in and claims the booty before it could find its way into our prodigal sons hands.
Quality: ⭐ ⭐ (Apprentice)
Pro's
The gleaming-gem core of this novel is a mind-blowing narrative that acts as a payoff book for the first three entries in the series. It's a magnificent weave that continually blasts revelation after revelation at the reader, building up to a penultimate climax that has some of the most insane chaos energy you can ever read. Playing second, third, and on and on fiddle to the utterly engrossing narrative are Phil's out of this world, imaginative worldbuilding ideas, as well as description and scene setting that test the limits of your imagination. Lastly, this cast of characters is uniquely charming and likeable within the whole of the fantasy genre.
We also have some of the best repertoire of vocabulary, philosophy and theme that the series has seen this far. This was almost on par with the greats of the fantasy genre, comparing heavily with Malazan which also has a woven plot structure, philosophical themes, peak narrative highs, and a superior imaginative uniqueness.
Con's
Imagine watching the ending of The Return of the Jedi and at the end, with Vader dying, he turns to Luke and says, "Luke, I the am your."
This book had post processing. The author didn't just take the first draft and throw it into the market for his rabid buyers to inhale unconditionally. Yet, what I purchased on Amazon was a first draft that was ridden with continuity errors, missing words, and misplaced punctuation. The book was initially thrown on the Amazon store for days with a missing chapter, both in the script and the table of content. Whatever proofreading and post editing this book went through in the month between the final chapter being published on Patreon and it being uploaded to Amazon was absolutely abysmal. And there's no way to avoid noting that.
I'm ok with ignoring a certain amount of unpolish. I was even willing to let go the continuity error in which a certain character who betrayed another in book 3, suddenly claims it wasn't a betrayal but a coercion. Especially considering Phil Tucker is independently published and wrote and published 5 books this year. But the way the errors showed up in this book really affected my experience of this book. Chapters 63-65 seem like they weren't even reread. And those are the climactic chapters of the novel. It really affected the emotional impact and the enrapture of the reader that would have been taken place in those scenes. There were some sentences I could not even decipher the meaning of in the middle of an emotional reunion. It's one of the most tragic crash and burn experiences I've ever had as a reader. This novel could have inherited the kingdom. This would have been my favorite fantasy novel.
Enjoyment: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (Happy)
In my rating rubrik, 5 stars is obsessed and crazed. For a couple of days, this was the only fantasy novel that ever brought me to that level of enjoyment. This book did make me laugh, cry, and think, however. And no reader could ask for anything more, but the lasting impact of the novel is quite soured.
Recommendation: ⭐ ⭐ (Do not recommend reading in print)
This entire series up until this point was probably my most easy to recommend series in the fantasy genre, outside of Lord of the Rings. It is accessible, but still has a lot of heightened elements such as great character development, and themes. I do not recommend reading book 4 at all.
BUT
There is one gleaming ray of hope for this novel, and it's that this will receive an audiobook in 2026. And as we know, narrators confer with authors to fix errors so that the narrator isn't speaking gibberish and impartial sentences. I don't like that a narrator becomes the (seemingly) most effective piece in the post-processung endeavor, and if I were the audiobook narrator, I would refuse this book outright, simply for how much time I'd have to spend ironing out the intention of the author. An audiobook narrator is not an editor, nor should even be tasked with proofreading.
Conclusion
Something in the creative process has got to give for Mr. Tucker. Safe to say that at a minimum, 5 books in a year didn't work out.
He is capable of turning out the most fun reading in fantasy. He's an absolute nexus of imagination. I think his stories are even a fantastic safe haven for many readers who want some fun reading but don't like Sanderson. I will continue The Immortal Great Souls series via audiobook, and hope that the author can reclaim a hold on the rapidly disintegrating polish and quality of his recent bibliography.
Overall score: 2.33 ⭐
Unfortunately, in this timeline, the government steps in and claims the booty before it could find its way into our prodigal sons hands.
Quality: ⭐ ⭐ (Apprentice)
Pro's
The gleaming-gem core of this novel is a mind-blowing narrative that acts as a payoff book for the first three entries in the series. It's a magnificent weave that continually blasts revelation after revelation at the reader, building up to a penultimate climax that has some of the most insane chaos energy you can ever read. Playing second, third, and on and on fiddle to the utterly engrossing narrative are Phil's out of this world, imaginative worldbuilding ideas, as well as description and scene setting that test the limits of your imagination. Lastly, this cast of characters is uniquely charming and likeable within the whole of the fantasy genre.
We also have some of the best repertoire of vocabulary, philosophy and theme that the series has seen this far. This was almost on par with the greats of the fantasy genre, comparing heavily with Malazan which also has a woven plot structure, philosophical themes, peak narrative highs, and a superior imaginative uniqueness.
Con's
Imagine watching the ending of The Return of the Jedi and at the end, with Vader dying, he turns to Luke and says, "Luke, I the am your."
This book had post processing. The author didn't just take the first draft and throw it into the market for his rabid buyers to inhale unconditionally. Yet, what I purchased on Amazon was a first draft that was ridden with continuity errors, missing words, and misplaced punctuation. The book was initially thrown on the Amazon store for days with a missing chapter, both in the script and the table of content. Whatever proofreading and post editing this book went through in the month between the final chapter being published on Patreon and it being uploaded to Amazon was absolutely abysmal. And there's no way to avoid noting that.
I'm ok with ignoring a certain amount of unpolish. I was even willing to let go the continuity error in which a certain character who betrayed another in book 3, suddenly claims it wasn't a betrayal but a coercion. Especially considering Phil Tucker is independently published and wrote and published 5 books this year. But the way the errors showed up in this book really affected my experience of this book. Chapters 63-65 seem like they weren't even reread. And those are the climactic chapters of the novel. It really affected the emotional impact and the enrapture of the reader that would have been taken place in those scenes. There were some sentences I could not even decipher the meaning of in the middle of an emotional reunion. It's one of the most tragic crash and burn experiences I've ever had as a reader. This novel could have inherited the kingdom. This would have been my favorite fantasy novel.
Enjoyment: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (Happy)
In my rating rubrik, 5 stars is obsessed and crazed. For a couple of days, this was the only fantasy novel that ever brought me to that level of enjoyment. This book did make me laugh, cry, and think, however. And no reader could ask for anything more, but the lasting impact of the novel is quite soured.
Recommendation: ⭐ ⭐ (Do not recommend reading in print)
This entire series up until this point was probably my most easy to recommend series in the fantasy genre, outside of Lord of the Rings. It is accessible, but still has a lot of heightened elements such as great character development, and themes. I do not recommend reading book 4 at all.
BUT
There is one gleaming ray of hope for this novel, and it's that this will receive an audiobook in 2026. And as we know, narrators confer with authors to fix errors so that the narrator isn't speaking gibberish and impartial sentences. I don't like that a narrator becomes the (seemingly) most effective piece in the post-processung endeavor, and if I were the audiobook narrator, I would refuse this book outright, simply for how much time I'd have to spend ironing out the intention of the author. An audiobook narrator is not an editor, nor should even be tasked with proofreading.
Conclusion
Something in the creative process has got to give for Mr. Tucker. Safe to say that at a minimum, 5 books in a year didn't work out.
He is capable of turning out the most fun reading in fantasy. He's an absolute nexus of imagination. I think his stories are even a fantastic safe haven for many readers who want some fun reading but don't like Sanderson. I will continue The Immortal Great Souls series via audiobook, and hope that the author can reclaim a hold on the rapidly disintegrating polish and quality of his recent bibliography.
Overall score: 2.33 ⭐
October 17, 2025
Worst book of the series so far.
This book seemed to have no real direction other than a pretty weak attempt to build up interest in background characters in anticipation of the next book. What makes it worse is that most of the support characters still feel pretty bland despite this effort. Too many characters share the same uncommon idiosyncrasies (seriously, how many people do single shoulder shrugs all the time?).
A lot of the bland and unnecessary conversation made it feel like certain characters were only given dialogue to remind the reader that they are still present.
I tried so hard to think of a way I could give it three stars but I only got to two stars due to the fact that the ending sets the stage for what could be an epic turnaround if Phil doesn't try to throw book 5 together at the last second.
To Phil Tucker: I know you have bills to pay, man, but I think most readers would agree with me when I say I'd rather wait longer for a more polished book. I mean, I reported 35 errors that I found in the first read-through. I know you're self published but come on. One careful read-through and this would be easily corrected. There was even a sentence that just randomly ended out of nowhere and therefore made no sense. Add the issues I pointed out above and I think we can agree that you can do better because you HAVE done better.
***SPOILERS BELOW***
Hated the constant bouncing around to different character perspectives. Even worse when it was characters who were in the same group as Scorio.
The self-pity shared by nearly every character was an unfortunate theme and became very boring and exhausting.
The fight against Lady Krula was super uninspired and cheesy. With all the buildup, I think we deserved something better. Not to mention, her powers seem pretty insurmountable for Scorio at that point due to his inability to establish dominion.
Dameon being Sapphire tempered and still being overcome by Scorio's team seems like quite a bit of a stretch. Considering how Scorio absolutely walked through Dread Blazes due to his gold tempering vs Dameon tempering Sapphire which is two tiers higher? I realize you tried to explain it away with his skipping Pyre Lord but that only seems to make sense from the dominion/primacy perspective. But I digress - it's your world.
Again - WAY too many different character perspectives. Most of these characters don't have the depth for this and they didn't inherit much additional character depth as a result of the multiple perspective shifts. I really hope that goes out the window next book and the characters get their future development from well thought our dialogue and interactions.
This book seemed to have no real direction other than a pretty weak attempt to build up interest in background characters in anticipation of the next book. What makes it worse is that most of the support characters still feel pretty bland despite this effort. Too many characters share the same uncommon idiosyncrasies (seriously, how many people do single shoulder shrugs all the time?).
A lot of the bland and unnecessary conversation made it feel like certain characters were only given dialogue to remind the reader that they are still present.
I tried so hard to think of a way I could give it three stars but I only got to two stars due to the fact that the ending sets the stage for what could be an epic turnaround if Phil doesn't try to throw book 5 together at the last second.
To Phil Tucker: I know you have bills to pay, man, but I think most readers would agree with me when I say I'd rather wait longer for a more polished book. I mean, I reported 35 errors that I found in the first read-through. I know you're self published but come on. One careful read-through and this would be easily corrected. There was even a sentence that just randomly ended out of nowhere and therefore made no sense. Add the issues I pointed out above and I think we can agree that you can do better because you HAVE done better.
***SPOILERS BELOW***
Hated the constant bouncing around to different character perspectives. Even worse when it was characters who were in the same group as Scorio.
The self-pity shared by nearly every character was an unfortunate theme and became very boring and exhausting.
The fight against Lady Krula was super uninspired and cheesy. With all the buildup, I think we deserved something better. Not to mention, her powers seem pretty insurmountable for Scorio at that point due to his inability to establish dominion.
Dameon being Sapphire tempered and still being overcome by Scorio's team seems like quite a bit of a stretch. Considering how Scorio absolutely walked through Dread Blazes due to his gold tempering vs Dameon tempering Sapphire which is two tiers higher? I realize you tried to explain it away with his skipping Pyre Lord but that only seems to make sense from the dominion/primacy perspective. But I digress - it's your world.
Again - WAY too many different character perspectives. Most of these characters don't have the depth for this and they didn't inherit much additional character depth as a result of the multiple perspective shifts. I really hope that goes out the window next book and the characters get their future development from well thought our dialogue and interactions.
October 20, 2025
*** Minor Spoilers ***
From Bastion (Book #1), this has captured my interest and has quickly become an all time favourite and possibly my most favourite Progression Fantasy series along with Cradle. And this latest addition just continues the trend.
The plot picks up right after Book 3 with Scorio feeling the aftermath of his part in victory over Blood Ox. He’s still reeling from the absence of Naomi and questions himself, his objectives and way forward. It is phenomenal how the author manages to keep the character dynamics realistic without losing pace of takin g away from the plot. Old characters reexamine their relationships while new characters pop up adding to a ever shifting landscape in a wonderful and fascinating world.
Team Scorio or at least this book’s version of it continues their trek across Acherzua and bulk of the plot happens in Silver Unfathom, which offers its own challenges to the team. They eventually end up in the sociopolitical minefield of the region and have to dig their way out, sometimes even literally. Major plot points from previous books progress nicely while leaving us begging for more.
On the flip side, the book suffers from relatively lukewarm plot and feels like a build up for future books. I thought that some of the character arcs for both the main characters and their antagonists were tied up conveniently and could have been fleshed out better. There still was a lot of oomph and the epilogue rally indicates that that stakes will get exponentially greater in the next book. The minor gripes aside, this still was a phenomenal read and I’m as excited for the next book as I was after Book 1.
As I said earlier, this is a must read for anyone looking for a good Prog Fantasy.
Highly recommended!
From Bastion (Book #1), this has captured my interest and has quickly become an all time favourite and possibly my most favourite Progression Fantasy series along with Cradle. And this latest addition just continues the trend.
The plot picks up right after Book 3 with Scorio feeling the aftermath of his part in victory over Blood Ox. He’s still reeling from the absence of Naomi and questions himself, his objectives and way forward. It is phenomenal how the author manages to keep the character dynamics realistic without losing pace of takin g away from the plot. Old characters reexamine their relationships while new characters pop up adding to a ever shifting landscape in a wonderful and fascinating world.
Team Scorio or at least this book’s version of it continues their trek across Acherzua and bulk of the plot happens in Silver Unfathom, which offers its own challenges to the team. They eventually end up in the sociopolitical minefield of the region and have to dig their way out, sometimes even literally. Major plot points from previous books progress nicely while leaving us begging for more.
On the flip side, the book suffers from relatively lukewarm plot and feels like a build up for future books. I thought that some of the character arcs for both the main characters and their antagonists were tied up conveniently and could have been fleshed out better. There still was a lot of oomph and the epilogue rally indicates that that stakes will get exponentially greater in the next book. The minor gripes aside, this still was a phenomenal read and I’m as excited for the next book as I was after Book 1.
As I said earlier, this is a must read for anyone looking for a good Prog Fantasy.
Highly recommended!
October 16, 2025
A great entry!
I had a complaint in a previous review of this series that he didn't explain character appearance very well. He seemed to do much better with that in this book, and I can actually picture most of the main characters now.
I thought the first few hundred pages of this book could have been tightened up a bit. There was some great character growth in there that was very well written, but I think it got a little long-winded in a few places. But the last 60-70% of the book rockets forward with so much happening and so many things to see that it more than makes up for that.
The setting and powers remain the highlight of this series. They are so varied and creative and cool that I'm always looking forward to the next place, the next bit of progression, the next twist.
This series keeps upping the stakes and moving forward at a great pace. I'm already excited for the sequel!
I had a complaint in a previous review of this series that he didn't explain character appearance very well. He seemed to do much better with that in this book, and I can actually picture most of the main characters now.
I thought the first few hundred pages of this book could have been tightened up a bit. There was some great character growth in there that was very well written, but I think it got a little long-winded in a few places. But the last 60-70% of the book rockets forward with so much happening and so many things to see that it more than makes up for that.
The setting and powers remain the highlight of this series. They are so varied and creative and cool that I'm always looking forward to the next place, the next bit of progression, the next twist.
This series keeps upping the stakes and moving forward at a great pace. I'm already excited for the sequel!
October 11, 2025
This author's ability to write seems to have a direct negative correlation to how many books he releases a year, thus though the quantities of his published work increases every year, his quality has greatly diminished. I believe he published 5 books this year according to his schedule, honestly probably AI assisted. Yes, I am including Patreon published work here.
Even though I think he used AI here, he has many mispelling and editing issues that anyone reading this could see. But these are not the only problems. I will go more in depth the more I read.
Disclosure: I have received an early copy for this review available through the author's paid platforms. I did not receive it for free.
Even though I think he used AI here, he has many mispelling and editing issues that anyone reading this could see. But these are not the only problems. I will go more in depth the more I read.
Disclosure: I have received an early copy for this review available through the author's paid platforms. I did not receive it for free.
October 22, 2025
And chaos ensues!
We left Scorio with emotional wounds and plans to head into the next level of hell. Things are in turmoil for him and he's in pain. This one brings closure to his pain, helps firm up his relationships with several people and see him grow in power. And of course, cause mass chaos and havoc for great souls and fiends alike. Because Scorio finally has a chance to get concrete info on the Herdsmen, and things don't go to plan which is pretty standard. But the reverberations from this one look like they're going to really shake up everything for everyone. It's going to get wild!
We left Scorio with emotional wounds and plans to head into the next level of hell. Things are in turmoil for him and he's in pain. This one brings closure to his pain, helps firm up his relationships with several people and see him grow in power. And of course, cause mass chaos and havoc for great souls and fiends alike. Because Scorio finally has a chance to get concrete info on the Herdsmen, and things don't go to plan which is pretty standard. But the reverberations from this one look like they're going to really shake up everything for everyone. It's going to get wild!
October 14, 2025
Good but not great
After waiting for 2 whole years, I couldn’t wait to get started in this instalment in the series and while inertia kept me going to the end, not the best work from the author. It does set things up very well for the where the story might be headed and the world building was great. Too many words conveyed too little though in terms of character development and motivations.
After waiting for 2 whole years, I couldn’t wait to get started in this instalment in the series and while inertia kept me going to the end, not the best work from the author. It does set things up very well for the where the story might be headed and the world building was great. Too many words conveyed too little though in terms of character development and motivations.
October 22, 2025
The Privilege of Choice
If you're already familiar with the series, you know the world building and character development is one of the best in the genre. I just want to thank the author for Leonis's journey. I found it to be profound and uplifting. I'm grateful for the time and, more importantly, the heart you've poured into this book. I hope we all take advantage of getting to choose the kind of person we are and use it to improve the lives of those around us.
If you're already familiar with the series, you know the world building and character development is one of the best in the genre. I just want to thank the author for Leonis's journey. I found it to be profound and uplifting. I'm grateful for the time and, more importantly, the heart you've poured into this book. I hope we all take advantage of getting to choose the kind of person we are and use it to improve the lives of those around us.
October 23, 2025
A bit of a tone shift. We've gone from "hell is brutal and cruel" to "hell is fine, you just need to get in touch with your inner feelings". I enjoyed it but it has gotten less believable. I like _some_ of the ways the author is telling a "everybody has been hiding the truth" plot but I am concerned whether it is all planned out and makes sense or whether it is just happening as a spur of the moment "we need a new revelation every X pages" technique.
November 5, 2025
Mr TUCKER YOUVE DONE IT AGAIN
The world building as always leaves me wanting more! The growth of Scorio and Niomi the mystery and ties to the past the more we find out the less we know
As always no plot armor to protect our favorites
Relationships grow shatter and grow anew
Getting to see deeper into the minds of the creatures of hell
My only complaint is chapter 45-60 they seem out of order
Amazing read
The world building as always leaves me wanting more! The growth of Scorio and Niomi the mystery and ties to the past the more we find out the less we know
As always no plot armor to protect our favorites
Relationships grow shatter and grow anew
Getting to see deeper into the minds of the creatures of hell
My only complaint is chapter 45-60 they seem out of order
Amazing read
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2025
scorio the scouter
I enjoyed this book a lot! Some surprise characters grew on me, some old characters grated (which was on purpose) but there was great character development and payoff. I can’t wait for book 5!
Only critique is some times the pacing is a little jumpy during the action scenes and I have to go back and reread to understand what’s going on, but it wasn’t bad enough to not do so.
I enjoyed this book a lot! Some surprise characters grew on me, some old characters grated (which was on purpose) but there was great character development and payoff. I can’t wait for book 5!
Only critique is some times the pacing is a little jumpy during the action scenes and I have to go back and reread to understand what’s going on, but it wasn’t bad enough to not do so.
November 24, 2025
Good read but
While the book demonstrates considerable literary merit, the excessive use of profane language and certain thematic elements detract from its overall quality. The frequent inclusion of crude dialogue and potentially controversial narrative choices diminish the potential depth and sophistication of the narrative, preventing what might otherwise be a five-star reading experience.
While the book demonstrates considerable literary merit, the excessive use of profane language and certain thematic elements detract from its overall quality. The frequent inclusion of crude dialogue and potentially controversial narrative choices diminish the potential depth and sophistication of the narrative, preventing what might otherwise be a five-star reading experience.
October 24, 2025
Each book just gets better
Phil is without a doubt one of my most favorite authors. I love all of his books and I've read everything his written, but the Immortal great Souls series may just be the best of the bunch. Bastion is and always will be a special book to me but I love the Lost Cube. Wow one he'll of a read.
Phil is without a doubt one of my most favorite authors. I love all of his books and I've read everything his written, but the Immortal great Souls series may just be the best of the bunch. Bastion is and always will be a special book to me but I love the Lost Cube. Wow one he'll of a read.
October 25, 2025
I’ve been absolutely loving this series to date so was really excited to see this release. My kindle has rarely left my side and I’m utterly sleep deprived which says it all - couldn’t put it down. Phil Tucker is rapidly becoming one of my favourite authors - between Immortal Great Souls and Throne Hunters he is absolutely knocking it out of the park!
October 28, 2025
This series just keeps getting better and better
Book 4 felt a bit slow at first and, there was some element of reminding myself of the previous characters and plot line, but once I was re-oriented to the world of the Great Souls, it was a page turner. I would definitely recommend. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
Book 4 felt a bit slow at first and, there was some element of reminding myself of the previous characters and plot line, but once I was re-oriented to the world of the Great Souls, it was a page turner. I would definitely recommend. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
October 29, 2025
Amazing installment
Just finished and already can't wait for the next. Immortal Great Souls is the best series in the genre and Phil Tuckerb series an amazing job creating new magic systems and complete world building. The characters are complex are good and bad lines become blurred. The fights are complex and compelling. The ?story complex and rivitting.
Just finished and already can't wait for the next. Immortal Great Souls is the best series in the genre and Phil Tuckerb series an amazing job creating new magic systems and complete world building. The characters are complex are good and bad lines become blurred. The fights are complex and compelling. The ?story complex and rivitting.
November 1, 2025
Outstanding Series!!
Dare I say, I’m seeing many key metaphors to our own existences deeply layered within. The vocabulary utilized is excellent, the storyline is engaging and highly coherent. Definitely read this series, you’ll be hard-pressed to find something better in this genre.
Dare I say, I’m seeing many key metaphors to our own existences deeply layered within. The vocabulary utilized is excellent, the storyline is engaging and highly coherent. Definitely read this series, you’ll be hard-pressed to find something better in this genre.
November 6, 2025
Somehow each subsequent book in the series gets bigger and bigger in scope while still keeping me just as hooked. I loved this book from start to finish. Loved Scorio's journey as always, but also really appreciated how we got far more chapters from other character's perspectives. It made Scorio seem all the more epic when we got to see how others perceived him.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews